Environmentalist Bill McKibben headlines Buffalo Humanities Festival

By BERT GAMBINI

“McKibben recognized very early on that we need to take the environmental fight to the streets.”

David Castillo, professor and director

Humanities Institute

Bill McKibben, author of the groundbreaking book “The End
of Nature,” which helped establish him as a leading voice on
the global threat of climate change, will be the keynote speaker
for the Buffalo Humanities Festival, being held Sept. 28-30 at
various locations in Western New York.

Organized annually by the UB Humanities Institute (HI), one of
the most important entities supporting the humanities in Western
New York, this year’s festival is presented in partnership
with Canisius College, Niagara University, SUNY Buffalo State and
Humanities New York.

McKibben, the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental
Studies at Middlebury College and a fellow of the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences, will deliver his lecture, “The
Desperate Climate Fight: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary
Moment,” at 8 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Albright-Knox Art
Gallery.

Published in 1989, “The End of Nature,” which has
been translated into more than 20 languages, stands today as the
first book for general readers on the dangers of climate
change.

“McKibben recognized very early on that we need to take
the environmental fight to the streets,” says David Castillo,
professor of Romance languages and literatures and HI director.
“And he’s just the one to do that. McKibben is the
kind of person who can speak to the general public and get us fired
up to acknowledge the moment in which we’re living and the
importance of fighting against the forces of climate change
denialism.”

“McKibben is an inspiring example of someone who is
simultaneously an extraordinary humanities scholar and an
extraordinary activist,” adds Kari Winter, professor of
transnational studies and HI executive director. “He’s
not just describing the world; he’s trying to change the
world for the better.”

“The End of Nature,” in fact, is McKibben’s
call for a new, sustainable relationship with the natural
world.

General admission tickets for McKibben’s talk are $20 for
the public and $15 for students. There is a separate VIP reception
with McKibben in the AK Café. The VIP reception is included
with the purchase of a VIP Full Festival Pass, which is $60 for the
public and $40 for students.

In addition to McKibben’s keynote, the three-day festival
features environmentally themed talks, music, performances,
community debates and other activities that focus on issues of
local, regional and national environmental justice and economic
sustainability.

A complete festival
schedule, including additional ticket information, is available
online.

In 2014, McKibben received the Right Livelihood Prize, sometimes
called the “alternative Nobel.” The author of more than
a dozen books, he is the founder of 350.org,
the first planet-wide, grassroots, climate change movement.

McKibben’s broad environmental vision is rooted deeply in
place and his writing represents the importance of sustainable
thinking that inhabits both local and global spaces.

“I see a stark difference in two visions of the
future,” says Winter. “President Trump recently said if
people in Western New York are struggling financially, they should
move to another state. McKibben says if we want to survive the
coming era, the most important thing to do is to become part of a
strong community.

“McKibben speaks directly to us, people rooted in our
communities and committed to their improvement,” she says.
“His beautifully crafted and lucid message is specifically
for the people of Western New York who want to organize their lives
in ways that are most likely to produce a good future.”

The full festival day on Sept. 30 will be held in Rockwell Hall
on the SUNY Buffalo State campus. The day begins at 10:30 a.m. with
visiting artist Deke Weaver’s performance of “BEAR and
the Unreliable Bestiary,” an exploration of what he calls
“stories from our precarious moment in natural
history.”

There will be multiple sessions, talks and panels throughout the
day on Saturday. Lunch by West Side Bazaar is included with tickets
purchased before Sept. 25.

The festival concludes with music from the 12/8 Path Band and a
reception with beer from Community Beer Works.